Guinea pig for sale? (Why you should adopt instead)

We’re sure you’ve heard this many times: Adopt don’t shop. And it’s for a very good reason! 

Adopting has so many positives—not only for you, but for the animals and the shelters you choose to adopt from! 

According to the Humane Society, it’s estimated that there are one million perfectly adoptable animals in shelters that are euthanized simply because of the overcrowding that is due to the lack of adopters. Just think about that. It’s a huge number of lost animal lives that could be prevented and reduced!

Too few people seriously consider and go through with adopting, leading to the overpopulation of animal shelters everywhere.

It’s heartbreaking to think that there could be something done to reduce the number of unnecessary life losses for animals if more people adopted, but not enough people step up.

Why should you adopt?

You’ll find the most loving guinea pigs in shelters

Guinea pigs have such a huge capacity for love! And they’re always so excited to meet new people, and especially the people who could be their new piggy parents.

Many guinea pigs end up in shelters because inexperienced piggy parents aren’t ready to make the commitment to giving them the level of care and attention that they need to live their best lives. 

Others can end up in shelters when their piggy friends pass away in their old homes and their parents aren’t able to adopt more piggies to keep them company, or aren’t able to re-home them with another guinea pig family.

Piggies need companionship in order to thrive and piggy parents know this, so some guinea pig owners end up having to use shelters as a last resort.

You’ll save money

Money is oftentimes a big factor in whether pet parents will buy or adopt their pets.

With adopting, it’s no question that you’ll be spending less money in the end, especially when it comes to the upfront costs in comparison to buying guinea pigs. Breeders can sometimes overcharge, which can hurt your wallet in the process.

With adoptions, things like treatment for pre-existing conditions, and sometimes low cost (or free) general medical checks and nail clipping services are provided with the adoption! This can save you a significant amount of money that you could put towards giving them a safe and fun cage setup in your home instead!

Fight mills and bad breeders

There are bad breeders and good breeders, and sometimes the bad ones can even be referred to as mills!

You may have heard of puppy mills, which are breeding facilities who operate like factories, and whose sole purpose is making a profit off of you and your prospective guinea pig that they’ve bred.

Of course, many reputable breeders are not like this, but by adopting you’re not supporting bad and immoral breeding practices. 

And it’s important to keep in mind that a lot of the time, mills are where pet shops and online sellers with guinea pigs for sale source their animals!

A second chance for the guinea pigs

A lot of the time, the guinea pigs have already lived in other homes before, and are used to adapting to new environments.

This doesn’t mean that the piggies won’t need an adjustment period, but it may mean it could take them less time to become accustomed to you, your family, and your home. Shelter guinea pigs are essentially already housetrained! 

A boost in your mental health

It’s been proven that having pets can significantly improve people’s mental health.

Being able to focus on giving the best care and loving their pets are amazing ways to help people recover from any mental health issues that they may be suffering from. People with anxiety especially benefit from keeping pets, as it helps them to relax and put more of their energy and mind towards caring for their animals. And hey, guinea pigs are pretty anxious themselves—anxious people and anxious piggies are meant to be the best of friends.

Adopting has far-reaching benefits

You’re not just helping the guinea pig or guinea pigs that you’re adopting, but you’re freeing up spots in the shelter for other animals that may desperately need to be there, or may need the shelter’s help.

If you adopt guinea pigs that need special types of care or needs, you’re also giving them more individualized attention that they may need to live fuller and better lives.

Shelters usually do the best that they can, but with so many animals to take care of, some needs may fall through the cracks and they may not have the resources they need to help the piggies that need it the most .

Also, by adopting, the little bit of money that you spend will help fund the shelter and their need for resources to take care of all the animals that they’re responsible for.

Remember, shelters have animals of all kinds and each of these animals all need help or specialized care in some way that sometimes they aren’t able to give them because of their limited funds.

How to help if you can’t adopt

Si, aka GuineaDad is a big proponent of volunteering at shelters. He’s seen firsthand the kinds of needs that animal shelters have and even if you can’t adopt a guinea pig or an animal in general, there are still things that you can do to help. 

In the past, he has volunteered at both Critter Corral in Chicago, as well as the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue. In fact, he had adopted Dumpling from foster piggy parents at Critter Corral. While he was there, he helped with the adoption events that were held by the center on Saturdays, and other events such as the Pignics. 

At the LA Guinea Pig Rescue, he’d help with bathing guinea pigs that were brought in, and also helped clean the supplies that were used for the guinea pigs’ living environments.

GuineaDad will be joining the Virtual Pignic by Orange County Cavy Haven as one of the guest speakers in November 2022! Check our social media closer to the event to find out when and where!

The last reason you should adopt guinea pigs?

It’s a win-win, for you and your new piggy friend!

You both gain new best friends, new family members, and happy memories for years to come. Adopt, don't shop, and you’ll never regret it.